I was the "Golden Girl" of the Sterling family—the perfect first love, the cherished daughter. Four years after my death, I was resurrected. But I wasn't the only one there. A substitute had successfully climbed the ranks, wearing a face that was 90% identical to mine. She looked at me, smirking with triumph. "Everything you had is mine now. You’re too late." What she didn’t understand was the sheer stopping power of being the original. The moment I appear, everyone abandons their principles and comes running to me. 1 "I’m home, Mom." I pushed open the heavy oak doors of the Sterling estate without hesitation, smiling radiantly at the woman sitting on the sofa. Just like I used to, as if I’d just popped out for coffee. Crash. The porcelain teacup in her hand shattered against the hardwood floor. Her response was a sound like a wounded animal. "Serena! My Serena is back!" I am Serena Sterling, the eldest daughter. I died of heart failure four years ago. On the brink of death, I was bound by a 'System' and learned the truth: I was just a "White Moonlight" character in a romance novel—a plot device destined to die early to make room for the protagonist. The real heroine was a body double, a girl who looked just like me. Because of her resemblance, she would ascend the social ladder, becoming the darling of the elite. My parents would adopt her; my childhood sweetheart would fall for her; my brother would obey her every command. She would get all the love, but only because I was dead. When the System asked if I wanted to complete missions in other worlds to earn a resurrection back in my original world, I didn't hesitate. Why should my life be the fertilizer for someone else's garden? Why should my tragedy be the prologue to her happy ending? So, I came back. "It’s me, Mom. I’m home." My mother’s embrace was warm, familiar, and tight to the point of suffocation, as if she feared I would evaporate if she let go. I sighed softly, patting her trembling back. The System had altered everyone's memories. Instead of dying in a hospital, the story was now that I had vanished in a shipwreck four years ago. She thought she had been searching for me day after day, year after year. But our tearful reunion didn't last long before the front door opened again. 2 "Mom! Look what we got you!" A sweet, unfamiliar voice rang out before the person even appeared. A young girl jogged in, carrying a box of pastries. A second later, a voice I knew better than my own followed, dripping with affection. "Slow down, don't run." Just one sentence, and I knew who it was. Xavier. My childhood sweetheart. "Mom? Do we have guests? Why are you crying?" That was Julian, my younger brother. He had walked in, but since my back was to him, he didn't recognize me yet. He only saw our mother weeping in the arms of a stranger. I felt Mom’s grip on me tighten. Her eyes were red, lips trembling, trying to form words but failing through the tears. "Mom, stop crying. What happened? Who is this lady?" the girl asked. Then, suddenly: "Ouch! Xavier, why did you pinch me? That hurt!" Her voice turned into a sugary whine. Xavier didn’t react to her complaint. His burning gaze was bored into my back. His Adam's apple bobbed as he tried to force out a name he hadn't spoken in years. "You guys are acting so weird. The security guard at the gate said I already came home once today. So strange," the girl muttered. She looked from my crying mother to my silent brother, then to the clearly shaken Xavier. Finally, her eyes landed on me. I could feel a bad premonition rising in the air. I pulled away from my mother’s embrace, turned around, and faced them. "Julian. Xavier. Long time no see." 3 "Serena..." Xavier's voice trembled almost inaudibly. Julian, however, had zero filter. "Serena Sterling! You have the nerve to come back? Where the hell have you been? Do you know I really thought you were dead? How dare you! How dare you..." He was eighteen now, not yet fully mature. He gritted his teeth, trying to sound angry, but his eyes were terrifyingly red, and tears started rolling down his face one by one. I patted his shoulder, feeling a wave of guilt. "You’ve grown up, Jules." Four years ago, he was a bratty fourteen-year-old. Now, he was a man. His composure snapped. He buried his head in my shoulder, choking out a whisper. "Sis... I missed you so much." While we were having our emotional reunion, the pastry box hit the floor with a thud. The room went quiet. Everyone finally looked at the girl standing by the door. I looked at her. That face—90% identical to mine—had drained of all color. She looked pathetic. We sat down for dinner. It was a meal filled with unspoken tension. The table was packed with my favorite dishes. Mom kept piling food onto my plate. Julian was busy peeling shrimp for me. But when Xavier instinctively placed a piece of honey-glazed pork—my favorite—into the girl's bowl, everyone froze. The girl, Tiana, clenched her fist under the table. "Thank you," she said softly. It was the first thing she’d said since realizing who I was. "Mmh," Xavier hummed a faint, awkward acknowledgment. I ignored the undercurrents and ate calmly. "Your room hasn't changed," Mom said, her voice fluttering with anxiety. "I cleaned it myself every day. Go rest after dinner. The doctor is coming to check on you. Your dad is flying back tomorrow." I nodded along to her ramblings. They didn't mention Tiana. I didn't panic. That’s the confidence of being the beloved one. But I didn't expect the mountain to come to Mohammad. Late that night, there was a knock on my door. 4 I opened it to see Tiana’s familiar face. She was holding a glass of milk. I raised an eyebrow, expecting a peace offering. Instead, the timid mask she wore at dinner vanished, replaced by a sneer. "Dead or missing, why didn't you just stay gone? You think you can beat me?" "I’ve spent four years strategy-gaming them. Except for this room, everything you own is mine. You’re too late. Do you understand?" Strategy-gaming? That was a weird choice of words. Before I could respond, she splashed the milk all over her own face, screamed, and threw herself onto the floor. Crash. The glass shattered. She burst into tears, looking like a rain-drenched pear blossom. "Sister, I'm sorry! I just wanted to welcome you! I didn't mean anything by it!" God, it had been years since I dealt with such low-level framing. It was almost funny. I looked down at the girl sprawled on the floor. Wet hair, red eyes, trembling in fear. A masterpiece of victimization. Truthfully, I didn't care much about fighting Tiana. She had comforted my family while I was gone. I had no malice toward her, provided she knew her place. But clearly, she wanted war. The noise drew attention. In a house this tense, no one was sleeping soundly. Doors flew open. 5 "What happened? Is it Serena? Is Serena hurt?" Mom rushed out, face pale, coat thrown on haphazardly, wearing two different slippers. When she saw me standing there unharmed, she let out a breath she’d been holding. "Mom..." Only after confirming I was safe did Mom hear Tiana’s whimpering. "What’s going on here? Why are you on the floor?" Mom frowned at the shattered glass near Tiana. "Why are you so careless? What if the shards hurt someone? Get up." "It was Sister, she..." Tiana’s lip quivered, tears ready to fall. But her performance was interrupted. "Your hand!" Julian ignored the girl on the floor and grabbed my wrist. There was a tiny scratch on the back of my hand, barely oozing a drop of blood—probably a flying shard. I didn't even feel it. But Julian looked like I’d been shot. "Can you not take care of yourself? Didn't you feel that?" He scolded me, instinctively blowing on the wound like he did when we were kids. "I’ll get the first aid kit." He turned to run. Mom crowded in, heartbroken. "Go, Julian, hurry! Oh, Serena, does it hurt? It’s my fault, I didn't even notice." Tiana was completely ignored. Her face twisted in ugly jealousy. Since she’d successfully climbed into the elite circle with that face, she had never tasted defeat like this. She thought she was the happiest girl in the world. Why did the dead have to come back to life? 6 "Mom, it's fine. It doesn't hurt," I said. I saw the envy in Tiana's eyes. I knew she wouldn't let this go. When you hold onto something for too long, you start to believe it actually belongs to you. "Mom... it hurts. I’m hurt too." While Mom wasn't looking, Tiana grabbed a shard of glass and sliced her own palm. Blood welled up instantly. She held out her bleeding hand, eyes filled with tears, looking like a child begging for love. "Got the kit!" Julian returned, freezing when he saw Tiana’s bloody hand. "Jules... it hurts." She knew exactly what worked on Julian. Usually, one look of dependency from her, and he’d be rushing to fix everything. She called his name again, hopeful. "Jules?" Julian pressed his lips together. Mom took the kit from him and pulled me into my room. "I need to clean this for Serena." "Julian, help her up," Mom threw over her shoulder. I knew why they were ignoring her. They were terrified I would be uncomfortable because of Tiana's face. I wasn't stupid. I knew what role she had played while I was gone. My voice stopped Mom. "Julian, help her." Mom paused, surprised. Julian, who always listened to me, carefully stepped over the glass and helped Tiana up. "Jules... do you and Mom not love me anymore?" Tiana used his grip to stand, eyes red. "I really just wanted to give Sister some milk. I don't know why she pushed me. Mom won't talk to me, Sister hates me... are you guys going to kick me out?" "Jules, if I apologize, will she forgive me? I don't want to leave..." "Tiana." Julian cut her off. His voice was flat. Tiana froze, looking up at him. Julian met her gaze with the eyes of a stranger. "Serena is my sister."
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